Awards
Maureen Regan Named HBA's 1997 Woman of Year
As the first woman to be appointed president of a major healthcare agency, Maureen Regan's trailblazing industry credentials made her a shoo-in for the Healthcare Businesswomen's Association (HBA) 1997 Woman of the Year. Fellow PR and marketing professionals also found Regan's appointment a winning choice as the ceremony, held at the New York Marriot Marquis April 15, attracted more than 700 healthcare and pharmaceutical executives -- the largest turnout in HBA history.
With more than a dozen years of pharmaceutical experience, Regan heads up Lally McFarland & Pantello Inc, a full service healthcare advertising agency based in New York. During her acceptance speech, Regan charged healthcare marketers to deliver more positive images of the pharmaceutical industry, pointing out that the pharmaceuticals have helped to add 26 years to the average life span in the 20th century alone. "We are not out there shouting our story from the rooftops of how the pharmaceutical industry has significantly improved the quality of life."
Highlighting that 70 to 90 percent of healthcare decisions are made by women, Regan also expressed her desire for more women to rise through the ranks of upper management in healthcare. "Women are the gatekeepers to healthcare -- and so women are a natural fit for careers in the industry." (LM&P, 212/845-4203)
Events
Healthcare Groups Get Involved in Philly Summit
When summit organizers of the Presidents' Summit for America's Future saw what the American Hospital Association's (AHA) volunteer leaders were doing to reach "at-risk" youth through its Health Adventures Program, they considered their participation essential to the April 27-29 Philadelphia event aimed at mobilizing citizens and organizations throughout the country. The American Society of Directors of Volunteer Services (ASDVS) committed $5 million to educate and involve 100,000 children ages 8-14 about health careers in their communities over the next five years.
Chaired by retired Gen. Colin Powell, this is the second AHA program to be recognized by summit leaders. What distinguished Health Adventures as a unique volunteer effort was its ability to combine efficiency, quality and mentoring, according to Lynette Ballard, president of ASDVS and director of volunteer services at St. Anthony's Medical Center in St. Louis.
One of the key benefits of the program, which can be used as a model for juvenile volunteer efforts throughout the country, is its ability to "fill the free time of at-risk youth with constructive programming," said Ballard. (AHA, 202/626-2342)
PR Newswire, West Glen Bring Media Heavywights and PR Execs Together
Mark your calendars for a lively PR/media discussion by reporters from CNBC and the Wall Street Journal as well as PR experts from New York-based agencies Hill & Knowlton and Nabco who will explore "Targeting Your Health Care Message: Breaking Through The Clutter"on May 14 in Manhattan.
Co-sponsored by PR Newswire and West Glen Communications, the conference will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m and will explore the roles of reporters and public relations professionals in reaching consumers with healthcare messages -- a hot issue given the multitude of healthcare messages that tend to be delivered in sound bites.
On the PR side, representatives from corporate, agency and non-profit sectors will discuss the challenges of getting the word out effectively, especially since sound bites alone don't communicate the full story.
The conference will be held at 810 Seventh Avenue at 53rd Street, 20th floor and will also be broadcast live on the Internet via AudioNet. Advance registration is $25 and same-day registration is $35. (West Glen Communications, Cynthia Hanson, 212/921-2800; fax: 212/944-9055)
Technology
Health Cheques Deliver Penny-Wise Sales Promotions
It's an industry-wide healthcare dilemma most marketers can relate to: creating low-cost promotional tools that will help establish patient loyalty among HMO, PPO and pharmaceutical companies.
To address these challenging healthcare marketing needs, National Savings Corporation (NSC), an Atlanta-based promotional consulting company, recently developed Health Cheques, a compilation of nearly 100 discount offers on health and fitness related products and services that appeal to today's health-conscious, money-wise consumer.
Designed to provide healthcare companies with affordable affinity/loyalty retention programs, over 60 preventive health sponsors were solicited to deliver more than $1,000 in savings through coupon booklets that can be personalized with your company's cover and message. (NSC, 800/299-4664)
Healthcare Gets Juked Up with New Storage System
Now you can jazz up how you store hospital records and patient profiles with healthcare targeted CD-ROM Jukebox and Recording Solutions. Disc Inc., (San Jose, Calif.) a leading supplier of automated storage products has recently teamed up with Young Minds, Inc., (YMi, Redlands, Calif.) pioneers of CD-ROM mass storage and CD-Recordable systems, to provide state-of-the-art jukebox recording solutions to the healthcare industry.
These jukeboxes have capacities ranging from 300 to 1,400 CD-ROM discs that can be configured with up to 48 drives, including CD-Recorders and CD-ROM readers. (Disc, Inc. 408/934-7000; Young Minds, Inc., 909/335-1350; http://www.discjuke.com)